Combined traction-engine and thresher.



No. 687,868. Patented Dec. 3, I90l. W. STEPHENSON.

COMBINED TRACTION ENGINE AND THRESHER.

(Application filed Mar. 17,1897. Renewed Apr. 1, 1901.)

4 Sheets-Sheet I.

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No. 687,868. Patented Dec. 3, 190i. W. STEPHENSON. COMBINED TRACTIONENGINE AND THRESHER.

(Applicaizion filed Mgr. 1'7, 1897. Renewed Apr. 1, 1901) 4Sheets-Sheet2.

(No Model.)

Inventor,

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W. STEPHENSON. COMBINED TRACTION ENGINE AND THRESHER.

(Application filed Mar. 17, 1897. Renewed Apr. 1, 1901.)

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COMBINED TRACTION ENGINE AND THRESHER. [Application filed Mar. 17; 1897.Renewed Am", 1. 1901) (No Model.') 4 Sheets- Sheet 4.

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UNITED STATES PATENT EEicE.

WILLIAM STEPHENSON, OF MORRIS, CANADA.

COMBINED TRACTION-ENGINE AND THRESHER.

gPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters PatentNo. 687,868, dated December3, 1961. Application filed March 17, 1897. Renewed April 1, 1901. SerialNo. 53,949. kNo model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM STEPHENSON, a subject of the Queen of GreatBritain, residing at Morris, in the county of Provincher, Province ofManitoba, Dominion of Canada, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in a Combined Traction-Engine and Thresher, of which thefollowing is a specification, and for which I have obtained LettersPatent in the Dominion of Canada on the 28th day of January, 1896, No.51,157.

The object of this inventionis to produce a thresher which containswithin a single structure the mechanism necessary to move it not onlyfrom place to place, but to drive it over thefield to be threshed, thethresher at the same time being in operation. I am enabled by my presentinvention to drive over a field and gather the grain thereon upon thethresher in passing. Thereby the expense attendant upon hauling thestraw and grain to a stack-yard preparatory to threshing is avoided, aswell as the danger of fire incident to the use of an. engine adjacent tothe stacks.

My invention consists in the construction, arrangement, and combinationof parts hereinafter more fully described and claimed, whereby a stablemounting of the parts is secured in a simple manner.

Referring to the accompanying four sheets of drawings, which form a partof this specification, Figures 1 and 2 are elevations of a thresherconstructed in accordance with this invention, taken from the right andleft sides, respectively. Fig. 3 is a front view thereof. Fig. 4 is atransverse vertical section on line 00 a; of Figs. 1 and 2 lookingrearward. Fig. 5 is a longitudinal vertical section taken through thecenter of the fire-box and boiler.

The several parts" are carried upon traction-wheels 1 l and the forwardguide wheels 2 2, the axles 3 and 4; of which carry a suitablehorizontal boiler 5 and fire-box mounted The axle 3 is mounted inbrackets 3, which project forwardly from the fire-box. The boiler hasmounted on the top thereof cylinders 6, in which are contained pistonsconnected to and driving the crankshaft 7, mounted in bearings 8,whichproject upwardly from the boilershell. A pinion 9 upon one end of theshaft 7 gears with the gear: wheel 10. A second pinion 10 secured uponthe axle of the gearwheel, engages with and drives a gear-wheel 11,which is mounted on a transverse shaft 12. This shaft is mounted inbearings 13, pendent from the shell of the boiler. Suitable pinions 12are secured to each of the opposite ends of the shaft 12. These meshwith internal racks 1 within the rims of the traction-wheels 1. Thus thetraction-wheels are driven from the crank shaft 7. The crank-shaft 7 hasalso mounted thereon on its opposite endsthe pulleys 14 and 15 Over thepulley 14: passes a belt 14 which drives a rotary fan 1a to supply aforced draft to the fire-box. be fully explained, drives the thresher15.

The axle 3 of the traction-wheels projects at each end beyond the hubsof the wheels. Its projecting ends support brackets 3, which carryuprights 16 16 one on each side. The brackets in turn carry sideextensions of the platform. The extensions upon the right side consistof a tank 17, which contains the water forthe boiler, the tank beinghung from the top of the upright 16 by links 17 -The left extension ofthe platform is larger than that upon the right, its outer edge restingon a sill 18, braced by a truss 18. This sill is carried-at its oppositeends on pendent arms 19 19, supported from the outer ends of the beams20 20. The beam 20 projects from a forward standard 21, rigidly secured.to a forward extension 5 of the boiler. The beam 2O rests upon theupright 16, the inner end of the beam being secured in any desiredmanner to the boiler-shell. Outside of the sill 18 and platform of thethresher is a guardrail 18, which afiords a convenient standing-placefor the operator in working around the thresher. To reinforce theconnection between the standard 21 and the beam 20 and to givesufficient strength to the latter with a minimum of weight, the standardand the beam cross each other. The end 21 of the standard isoonnected'with the outer projecting end of the beam 20 and with theopposite end 2O thereof by the rods 22 and 22, respectively, while theend 20 of the beam is also connected to the lower portion of thestandard by the rod 22*. In a similar manner the beam 20 is strengthenedby the rods The pulley 15, as will hereinafter 23 23, which extend fromthe ends of the beam to the top of the upright 16% carried by thebracket 15. The upright 16 has its upper end tied to the boiler by therod 23*, so that the platform thus carried on the sill 18 and sill 18,supported at the base of the upright 16 and by the lower beam 20, andthe mechanism therein, is balanced by the watertank on the opposite sideof the engine.

Upon the left platform I mount a threshing mechanism 15, of any improvedconstruction. A belt 24 passes from the pulley 15 on the crank-shaft toa counter-shaft 24:, secured to the forward beam 2 From thecounter-shaft the thresher is driven by a belt 25. A suitable dynamo 26,driven from the counter-shaft by a belt 26, may be mounted upon theboiler to supply current to a lamp 27 for night-work. It is to beunderstood that proper clutches or loose pulleys on the counter-shaftmay be added, whereby all the parts may be driven together or any one ormore of them disconnected While the other parts are driven. It is to beunderstood also that I prefer to use some suitable type of straw-burningengine, so that the straw fromv which the grain has been separated inthe thresher may be used as fuel to furnish the necessary power insteadtherefore of bringing the grain to a stationary thresher, as is nowusually done. The thresher moves over the stubble-field upon which thegrain has been cut and gathers the crop and threshes the grain inpassing. The above-described method of mounting the several partsresults in a compact structure Well balanced and easily moved,controlled, and steered.

' By preference I use the form of boiler shown in the annexed drawings.It is a boiler 5, having at one end a pendent water-leg 25 In this iscontained the fire-box 26, having an aperture 26*, its lower end closedby the ashpan 26, a combustion-chamber 27, extending the ash-openin gsin both the fire-box and combustion-chamber are made through the dou blcbottom thereof, the space between which is in communication with andforms a part of the water-space of the boiler. By this construction Iprovide an efficient straw-burning engine, the combustion chamber ofwhich may be readily cleared of the ashes incident to the use of strawas a fuel, and I utilize to the fullest extent the heat resulting fromthe combustion of the straw.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as my invention is-I 1. The combination with driving-wheels and an axle therefor, of anengine mounted on the axle and imparting motion to the wheels, postscarried on the ends of the axle outside of the wheels thereon, abeamcarried by one of the posts and having one of its ends secured to theengine, a platform hung from the opposite end of the beam, and athresher carried on the platform and driven by the engine, substantiallyas described.

2. The combination with driving-wheels, and an axle therefor, of anengine mounted on the axle and imparting motion to the wheels, a postcarried on each end of the axle outside of the Wheels, a beam carried byone of the posts and having its inner end tied to the engine, a threshersupported by the outer end of the beam and driven by the engine and aWater-tank carried by the opposite post, the upper end of which is tiedto the engine, substantially as described.

3. The combination with driving-wheels, and an axle therefor, of anengine mounted on the axle and imparting motion to the Wheels, anupright attached to the head of the engine, a beam projecting to oneside therefrom, a post carried on each end of the axle, outside of thewheels thereon, a beam carried by one of the posts, and having its innerend tied to the engine, a thresher supported by the outer ends of thetwo beams and driven by the engine and a counterpoise for the threshercarried by the opposite post, the upper end of which is tied to theengine, substantially as described.

Signed by me at Toronto, Canada, this 29th day of January, 1897.

WILLIAM STEPHENSON.

Witnesses:

WM. LAIDLAW, FRED LEAR.

